What is happening in Houston?

8th wonder is a dick realtor trying to capitalize on the world cup.

The rest are just the craft market collapsing. Outside of Saint Arnold's and a couple others.

Platypus, in my opinion, declined after their original brewer left. The beer was never spectacular, but I liked a couple of them - Red Ranga and Bobby Dazzler. She took the recipe for Red Ranga with her. Things changed during Covid and they started selling cocktails and became a bar that happened to have a brewery. They're now going to open a restaurant and serve their beers that will be brewed offsite. I haven't been there in something like four years. They did have solid fish and chips as well as really good Brussels sprouts.

True Anomaly got screwed by 45 being moved to where they are and this will affect a lot of other businesses in that area. They hinted at a relocation in that same part of town, so it's not necessarily over for them. I liked their beers in the beginning as they did a lot of cool stuff with sours but the last couple of times I went it just seemed like it was more focused on hoppier styles which aren't really my thing. .

8th Wonder has new landlords that are also realtors and want to make $$ during the World Cup by either using it for parking or renting out the space to others. It's a short-sighted plan and screws the brewery. I hope the brewery wins their suit.

That being said, the only breweries I would still make an effort to visit are Equal Parts, Saint Arnold, and Senate Avenue Brewing (several of their beers are solid, if not amazing, the food is good, and it's the closest brewery to me). Those breweries all make a wide range of beers, which I prefer vs. umpteen boozy stouts and IPAs.

When I first moved here in 2012 there were hardly any breweries other than Saint Arnold. Then, in the next few years a bunch of new breweries entered the market and it became oversaturated.

edit: spelling

The breweries that have seemed to survive operate more as neighborhood bars than beer destinations with the exception of St. Arnold’s. Baileson, Eureka Heights, and Holler all seem to do well. I think the days of breweries doing well in random strip malls with generic/cheap settings are done.

I don't disagree. Halo is packed every time I've gone. The Brewmistress? has a good variety of beers, where I know there's always something an IBU hater can enjoy. But their rent is likely far cheaper than it is inside 610 as a hipster destination spot.

World of Beer has been vacant (not that it was a brewery) for a year or more? The conversion of Alamo Drafthouse into the shitty facade of Flix Brewhouse (the one time I bothered they had 4 beers, total, available, and it was after the hard open, and old skule Alamo was 70+) was the nail in the coffin of giving a shite about beer in Houston (not exurbs like Fulshear, Brenham, etc.) No Label fell off the map 10 years ago. Disappointing, but not surprising.

Alcohol consumption is also drastically declining, restaurants are seeing it too. Multiple factors going into that but the younger generations just aren't drinking alcohol and aren't going out to bars and breweries nearly as much.

A lot of the beer nerds have graduated to bourbon

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A lot of the beer nerds have graduated to bourbon

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great, more douche bags inflating an over-inflated bourbon market.

Fire ant brewing shut down in tomball.


Food was awesome at first. Sucked last time. Now they closing for good

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Brewery as a lifestyle business/community "pub"

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Beer gardens, even if they're not a brewery, where kids can run around, are *packed* in the burbs.